Wind Up Lantern

Checklist For Buying A Crank Lantern

A crank lantern, also known as a wind up lantern, is quite a useful thing to have around. Instead of being powered by regular batteries or fuel, it is powered by winding a crank which recharges an internal battery. The battery then provides energy to highly efficient white LEDs which emit light. It’s definitely essential to have a wind up lantern for every camping trip or just as an emergency light for those difficult situations. Here is a short checklist for things you should look for when buying a crank lantern.

1. Size – Depending on what you are intending to use the crank lantern for, you might either want to buy a larger sized crank lantern or a smaller sized one. Smaller lanterns are great for hiking trips, or for any trip where you don’t want to bring along a larger lantern but still need something brighter than a torch. Larger lanterns are useful when you need more light are are willing to sacrifice a bit of portability, for example, camping trips. Do note that even the larger lanterns are quite portable when you compare them to traditional fuel lanterns, so the additional weight of a larger lantern isn’t much.

2. Power modes – Variable power modes are highly essential for any decent crank lantern. Lower levels of light do not drain the battery as fast, so you won’t need to wind the crank as often. For example, you can use the lower light mode when you just need a night light. A higher level of light can be used for activities such as reading. Having this flexibility is important for any crank lantern.

3. DC charger – If the crank lantern can be charged using a DC outlet, for example via USB or via your car, you won’t need to wind the lantern at all (unless it runs out of power). This is a very useful feature and should be available in most good lanterns.

4. Bonus features – What bonus features do you need in a crank lantern? Some come with bonus features such as a built in radio and compass which are useful, especially if you are buying a lantern for emergencies.

5. Price – A good crank lantern should not cost too much. Depending on the features you need, a good crank lantern should cost below $40 and sometimes even less.

August 25th, 2009 | Posted in crank lantern | No Comments

Wind Up Lantern – Don’t Be Caught In The Dark

Why do you need a wind up lantern? Simply because you don’t want to be caught in the dark without a reliable light source! A wind up lantern is a very useful item to have for camping trips and for emergencies. Instead of being powered by batteries, which can be unreliable in emergencies or when you’re out in the wilderness, a wind up lantern comes with an attached crank.

If you had one of these lanterns, you will never be caught in the darkness without a light source – ever again. The portable lantern can simply be charged by winding the crank anytime you wish. A good wind up lantern should be highly portable, durable and be full featured. There is really no point bringing multiple devices when just one convenient device will do! Most devices come with many additional features such as a radio, an alarm, a compass and more, making it truly the new must have swiss army knife of camping and emergency devices.

We recommend that if you want a full featured wind up lantern, you should go with the bestselling Wind ‘N Go Portable Lantern/Radio which is packed with features in a low cost package. Compared to some other lanterns which also work by winding a crank, this lantern comes with many other functions which will definitely be useful when you go camping or in an emergency.

The Wind ‘N Go Portable Lantern/Radio has the following great features:

- 9 bright white LED lights
- 5 red LEDs that flash for emergencies
- AM/FM radio
- 120 decibel siren
- night light
- high frequency mosquito repellent
- compass

In addition, it can be charged by winding or by plugging in the included 12V DC adapter, so you can even charge it in your car!

August 10th, 2009 | Posted in wind up lantern | No Comments

Wind Up Light – The 2 Different Kinds Of Wind Up Lights

A wind up light might come in several different varieties but they all work similarly. They don’t require batteries or fuel, and they are powered by an internal battery or capacitor which stores energy. Instead of a traditional filament bulbs or some burning mechanism, a wind up light device uses a white LED which is very bright and uses very little energy, thus allowing the light to last a very long time. Here are some different kinds of wind up lights:

1. Wind Up Lantern

A wind up lantern is the largest kind of wind up light. It comes with an attached crank which can be wound for a few minutes to provide anywhere from 1 hour to many hours of light. These usually are more full featured usually have multiple levels of light. They are most useful for camping or hiking trips where a brighter light source is needed.

2. Wind Up Flashlight

A wind up flashlight, also known as a wind up torch, is a more portable light source. It might come with a mini crank which can be wound to provide power to a battery. On a smaller model wind up flashlight, power might not be stored in a battery but in a capacitor. Most wind up flashlights provide light via just 1 white LEDs or in some more powerful models maybe up to 5 white LEDs. These wind up flashlights are most popular to be kept around the house for emergency purposes, but can also be brought for camping trips to be used as very useful and ultra-portable flashlights.

Whether you use a wind up lantern or a wind up flashlight, the dynamo technology used in such devices definitely allow us to save money by not having to buy extra batteries or fuel. They also provide the greatest assurance that light will always be available in any emergency, no matter where you are. I highly recommend you get at least 1 just to keep around.

September 1st, 2009 | Posted in wind up light | No Comments

Wind Up Lantern – Pros and Cons Of Using A Wind Up Lantern

A wind up lantern is a rather recent innovation. Instead of the traditional fuel or battery based lantern, it comes with an attached crank. Just wind the crank for about a minute or so and this will allow the wind up lantern to provide light for an hour and often longer. Here are some pros and cons of using wind up lanterns:

Pros

Portable – The wind up lantern is definitely the most portable and light when you compare it to the battery and fuel lanterns. This is especially true when you take into account the fact that you don’t have to bring any spare fuel or batteries for this lantern.
Green – The wind up lantern does not use any additional fuel or new batteries and works by recharging an internal battery. This is a much more environmentally friendly solution. We all need to play our part to preserve precious environmental resources and reduce our carbon footprint. One of the ways we can do that is to start using more environmentally friendly product such as wind up lanterns.
Safe – Not having to carry around flammable fuel makes the wind up lantern safer than a fuel based lantern. Safety is of paramount importance and this should be a factor when you are considering any equipment for a trip.

Cons

Not as bright – Most wind up lanterns use bright white LEDs as a light source. These are still not as bright as the light which a fuel based lantern emits. However, this is usually not an issue as the light is bright enough for most purposes including camping and hiking.
Needs to be recharged – The nature of the wind up lantern technology means that you have to recharge it every 1 hour or so by winding the crank. Some of you might find this process rather troublesome.

In my opinion, the pros outweigh the cons and a wind up lantern is a convenient green wind up light for all kinds of camping and night outdoor activities.

August 24th, 2009 | Posted in wind up lantern | No Comments

Wind Up Light – Get One Just For Emergencies

A wind up light is a great thing to have around, just for emergencies. Whether it’s a power issue or a total blackout, you can rest assured that you will always have a light source. In addition, some of them come with additional functions such as radios which are perfect for listening in to public announcements during emergencies. Don’t worry about ensuring that you always have functional batteries for all your emergency torches, get a light which can be simply powered by a few turns of the attached crank! There are 2 main variations of wind up lights, the wind up lantern and the wind up flashlight. Both work in similar fashion, the only difference being the size. Here are some models of wind up lights which are good to have around for those critical situations:

Wind ‘N Go Portable Lantern/Radio

This is our top pick of all the wind up lanterns for all-purpose use. This is primarily because this wind up lantern packs so many features into the same package. This model comes with bright LEDs and a radio built in. It’s a great idea to keep one of these around just in case of a power failure, or other emergency where you need good lighting and access to the latest news on the radio.

Get the Wind ‘N Go Portable Lantern/Radio at Amazon.Com now!

Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light

In addition to a wind up lantern, you should also keep a wind up flashlight as well for emergencies. Compared to a wind up lantern, this is smaller and more portable. It does not have as many functions as a full sized wind up lantern, but in an emergency situation, it’s important that everybody has a light to see by, so they actually can see where they are going. This model provides approximately 1 hour of light for every 3 minutes of cranking. This model is a best-seller and has 3 very bright LEDs. It also comes with a lifetime warranty on the fixture. I recommend getting one for each person at home, just in case.

Get the Garrity Power Lite 3 LED Crank Light at Amazon.Com now!

August 18th, 2009 | Posted in wind up light | No Comments

Wind Up Lantern – 3 Reasons Why You Need One For Your Next Camping Trip

A good and reliable light source is essential for camping trips. Because of this, a wind up lantern has become a must-have item. Here are 4 good reasons why you should replace your fuel based or battery based lantern with a good wind up lantern for your next camping trip:

1. Environmentally friendly – Compared to fuel based lanterns, the wind up lantern can be recharged simply by winding the attached crank. Depending on the model, a few winds can be sufficient for minutes to hours of light. If the lantern runs out of energy, just wind it again to power it.

2. Safe – A wind up lantern is much safer than a normal fuel based lantern. There is no chance of any leakage of fuel and any other dangerous flammable substances which may pose a fire hazard.

3. Always have a light – You don’t have to fear that you run out of fuel or batteries. Light will always be readily available no matter what the situation as long as you have a wind up lantern.

In addition, the wind up lantern is cheap, with most lanterns costing at most $30. It’s definitely worth it for the peace of mind that a wind up lantern brings.

August 11th, 2009 | Posted in wind up lantern | No Comments